We will be staying in Vevey on the Geneva lake for several nights. Planning to take a train to Intrlaken.


We would spend a night in Interlaken if there are any flat or almost flat short hikes up to 2h each there.

I had a very nice time walking along the river in the Lauterbrunnen valley, which is very close to Interlaken. From the valley floor, you have fantastic views of the Alps.

N., you beat me to it! Yes---the walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg along the river is very nice; you can return to Lauterbrunnen by postbus if you like.

Within the city of Interlaken, I know of no hikes other than to walk the city streets.

If you are willing to take the train to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, there are quite a few places you could go.
Nessundorma (wonder if can sing the aria?) has made a good suggestion.


A second suggestion, if you are going to be there before the end of July, is take the cable lift from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp and walk from there to Mürren. You can ride the little train back to Grutschalp and descend the same way you came up. About the end of July the cable line from Lauterbrunnen upwards to Grutschalp will be taken out of service forever.

I think I fail to grasp the purpose behind going to the mountains in search of a flat hike. I will admit that although Interlaken is surrounded by mountains, it within itself is a glaciated area that is level but it is heavily populated.

While in Vevey, don't miss visiting the Castle Chillon (on the other side of Montreux) - you can get there by boat, timetable at www.cgn.ch, or by train to Montreux and then by trolleybus, or (I think) by bus all the way.

For stunning views across the lake to the French alps (Mont Blanc etc.) take the little train from Montreux up to Glion or Caux, or even to Rochers de Naye. They serve a good lunch up there, too...

Around Interlaken there is gorgeous hiking, easy - Interlaken is on the flat between two lakes. There is a special map with hiking trails around Interlaken at

www.karten-shop.ch/detail2.php?url=30254

For a great day if the weather plays fair, I suggest you take the boat or the bus to Beatenbucht/Niederhorn, where you first of all go up on the Niederhorn, have lunch up there with the million-dollar views (bring camera, sunscreen, and really good sunglasses).

www.niederhorn.ch

Then you come back down and start your leisurely hike back to Interlaken, all the while looking up at the great peaks you just saw from higher up.

If one of you can read some German, look at the trip description (in the opposite direction, and going further - all the way to Merligen) at

http://www.tourenguide.ch/d/wanderun...p?touren_id=13

To see the map, go to www.viamichelin.com and input Interlaken Ost for departure and Beatenbucht for destination, then zoom in on the map. That will be the road, of course, but your hiking path will follow the lakefront roughly in parallel.

This is just one of many possibilities around there - once you're in Interlaken you'll get information about more hikes if you ask about "Wanderwege" - the Swiss system of well-maintained and well-marked hiking paths that criss-cross the nation. They're always marked not by distance but by time, based on the speed of an average family with kids.

Enjoy!

WK

Thanks for your help, everbody. We'll include on e night in Interlaken. Probably will pass on Zermatt though. Just too much in only 3-4 days.

*** Does anybody know a simple hotel in Interlaken, where they accept a short cancelation notice, in case of bad weather?***

What to do in Vevey/ Montreux at night besides walking along the lake?

A very simple but absolutely clean and friendly hotel in Interlaken is the Bernerhof which is a block or so (and within EASY walking distance of) the Interlaken West RR station; you can access it through the Best Western website.

For other possibilities take a look at www.rooms.ch

And definitely consider the visit to Chillon AND the spectacular trip all the way up to Rochers de Naye; getting to the latter is definitely more than half the fun and if the weather above is clear the views are breathtaking.

tagging